The Liberia Civil Aviation Authority delegation returns from Single African Air Transport Market meeting in Freetown
The Director-General of the Liberia Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA) Mr. Julius D. Dennis and the Director of Air Transport and Economic Regulation Directorate Mrs. Audrey Zoe Johnson recently attended the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) Pilot Implementation Project (PIP), in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The SAATM is a flagship project of the African Union (AU) agenda 2063, which was launched in January 2018, to liberalize air transport in Africa and to enable African airlines to move people and cargo easily across the continent, without policy restrictions and other non-physical barriers.
The African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) is driving the implementation of the Yamoussoukro decision (YD) and SAATM across Africa. Currently, there are 47 African states that are implementing SAATM, with over 11.50 million people, representing 77 percent of the African population, with a combined GDP of USD 22.83 billion in 2023.
In 2023, fifty nine new intra-African routes were established, thirteen of which are 5th freedom. 5th freedom traffic capacity in Africa has increased from 15 percent of total traffic capacity in 2018 to 19 percent in 2023. The 5th freedom rights granted scheduled capacity was 29 percent, well over the trend in the last 10 years. 5th freedom flights allow foreign carriers to operate routes between two countries where neither is their home base.
At the conclusion of the meeting, it was decided that the Banjul Accord Group-BAG states urgently do the following:
- Expedite the institutionalization of the BAG secretariat.
- Conclude the amendment of the BAG agreement to empower the secretariat to effectively carry out its air transport functions.
- Fully implement the BAG Multilateral Air Service Agreement-MASA.
- Make the BAG air transport market a domestic market, and fully implement the YD/SAATM.
During the meeting, which ran from July 29-30, the Director General of the LCAA, Mr. Julius Dennis held bilateral discussions with key stakeholders on seamless air connectivity in the countries of the Mano River Union (MRU).
